tong1
/tɒŋ
/noun
(In the US) a Chinese association or secret society, frequently associated with organized crime: [as modifier]: the tong wars in Chinatown...
- The struggle for control of these illicit businesses also gave rise to frequent intrigues, violence, and political corruption and to sensational press coverage of the so-called tong wars.
- I guess what I'm saying is we can complain all we want about the tong culture and how the rule of law can be a joke in this country, but we have to start somewhere if we want to fix things.
Origin
Late 19th century: from Chinese (Cantonese dialect) t'ōng, literally 'meeting place'.
Rhymes
tong2
/tɒŋ/verb [with object]
1Curl (hair) using tongs: hair has been tonged at the ends for this great look...
- The stylist suggests tonging the front section into a large wave before pinning it to the head.
2Collect (oysters) using oyster tongs: Hank still finds time to tong oysters in winter